Spending close to a week in the center of Satmar’s spiritual empire provided no small number of surprises and shattered quite a few misconceptions. Sitting in the private chamber with the Rebbe Rav Zalman Leib, davening with both his minyan and in the shul on Rodney Street, participating in a Shabbos meal with the Rebbe, and a series of visits to the Satmar mosdos, highlighted the complexity of this little-understood Chassidus. Welcome to Satmar.

Israel goes to the polls next week, in an election that’s being closely monitored around the world for its international repercussions. What are the issues, who are the front-runners, and why has Iran disappeared as a campaign issue?

Estate attorneys and planners worked feverishly during the final months of 2012 to help families beat changes in inheritance tax laws. If you missed out, there are still ways to limit the potential tax bills of your heirs — including gifting a portion of your assets beforehand — provided you plan ahead.